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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

1. When does the program start and how long will it last?

The starting date is January 28, 2009. The program will continue for twelve months. The last meeting will take place on December 16, 2009.

2. What will be the usual time and day of the month?

The program will usually be held on the 4th Wednesday of the month, from 6:00 to 8:30 pm, with exceptions that accommodate certain holidays. Dinner will be served at 5:30.

3. Program dates:

January 28, 2009, February 25th, March 25th, April 29th, May 27th, June 24th, July 29th, August 26th, September 30th, October 28th, November 18th and December 16th, 2009. A special 6-hour PERCS (Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills) training will be held on a Saturday in the winter/spring of 2009 at Children's Hospital.

4. Where will the program be held?

The program will be held in the Bowles 6 conference room of Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton, MA, on the second floor, near the cafeteria.

5. What are the benefits for participating in this project

The opportunity to enhance your skills with pediatric patients and their families.
Participants will be reimbursed either $1000.00 or $600.00 for completing the program responsibilities. The reimbursement will depend on placement in one of two groups, and participants will know their group placement before the program begins.
35.5 CME credits (AMA Category 1, including 5.5 risk management credits) have been applied for
Participation in a study of the impact of psychosocial training upon clinicians and helping improve the management of emotional issues in pediatric practice
An experiential training, "Difficult Conversations In Primary Care Pediatrics: Depression in the Family" via the Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills (PERCS) at Children's Hospital. This special PERCS program has been designed for CEHL participants. Tuition will be paid by CEHL.
An opportunity to interact and to discuss difficult cases with colleagues
Facility experts and guest presentations on topics relevant to your practice
Reimbursement from major payers for parent interviews
Consultation with a mental health professional or other facilitators between meetings and for case presentations
Community resource identification to help you locate appropriate services for your patients and their families
Your name and practice information posted on www.cehl.org, if you wish, for parents who are interested in finding psychosocially skilled pediatricians
Third party billing and CBT coding guidelines for extended visit reimbursement

6. How many health professionals are participating in this project?

Approximately 40 health professionals will be invited to participate, with the intervention group size being approximately 14. The majority of the participants will be pediatricians although nurse practitioners are welcome if they are part of a pediatric practice, and regularly work with parents and children.

7. What additional materials will be made available for the participants?

The material covered in www.cehl.org will be available. Various articles, handouts and resources will be distributed in a workbook provided before the program begins, and in our monthly sessions. Guest speakers and faculty experts will also provide specialized resources relevant to your practice.

8. Who will be primarily responsible for teaching?

Elizabeth Rider, MSW, MD will be the senior faculty person, along with contributions by Julia Swartz, LICSW, CEIS and Howard King, MD, MPH. Other guest faculty will be invited to participate.

9. What are the educational goals of this project?

To improve your ability to evaluate and manage emotional and psychosocial problems commonly seen in pediatric practice with children, adolescents and their families.
To identify family issues and emotional problems of children and adolescents early, when there is the best opportunity for intervention
To learn a framework for effective communication skills and interpersonal relationships.

10. What are the research components of this project?

We expect to enroll up to 40 pediatricians and nurse practitioners who will take part in this program. Since we can only effectively work with 14 professionals at a time, we will randomly assign participants into two groups, i.e. an "intervention group" and a "control group."

Randomized control trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for establishing evidence for the effect of an intervention. Without a control group of physicians who do not receive the CEHL intervention, we cannot determine whether the program made any difference. Potential participants should not underestimate the importance of the control group for this project. Funders and health plans are very interested in whether we can demonstrate increased psychosocial competence in the intervention group.

The difference between the groups is that the intervention group will take an active part in the twelve monthly sessions, and will receive, among other things, a stipend of $1000.00 and CME credits after completing the program and participating as a research partner by completing two questionnaires and inviting 10 parents of patients to complete one questionnaire.. The control group will not attend the monthly sessions, and will receive $600.00 for completing two questionnaires and inviting 10 parents to volunteer to participate in completing a questionnaire.

11. What are the responsibilities for those who participate in the intervention group?

Completion of two provider surveys and identification of ten parents in your practice, who will be asked to volunteer to complete a parent survey at the end of the program. This is an essential component to the practice and research aspect of the program.
Attendance at eleven of the twelve sessions.
Invite two different families to an extended 50-minute interview to conduct a psychosocial assessment. Documentation of reimbursement or denial, EOB, (explanation of benefits) will be required.
Present one family from your practice, including a case history and formal Bio-Psycho-Social Assessment for each. You will receive support and clinical supervision beforehand with members of the faculty
Review of peer case presentations and assessments, including comments and questions posted to the secure website.
Participation in the PERCS training

12. What are the responsibilities of the control group?

The control group will not take part in the twelve monthly sessions. In return for a stipend of $600.00 they will be asked to complete two provider surveys and to invite ten parents to participate in completing a survey. They will also be given priority to participate in subsequent programs.

We anticipate there will be a fourth round of sessions beginning in the Spring 2010 and ending in the Winter/Spring 2011. This fourth round of sessions will be for an entirely new and separate group of pediatricians and nurse practitioners. Each group of sessions is twelve months in duration. Control group members will be given priority as intervention group members should a fourth session be offered.

13. Why is it important to collect data from the participants and a select number of the parents in their practice?

Up to now, most health plans have been skeptical about the value of incorporating behavioral and mental health concepts within the context of the pediatrician--parent or nurse practitioner-parent relationship. Nevertheless, pediatricians are increasingly required to perform behavioral health screening and management with minimal training, reimbursement and time.

How can pediatricians best implement psychosocial practices in this environment? Will parents be enthusiastic about this kind of intervention? Can it be achieved in a cost-effective way? These are some of the questions that this project hopes to address, making use of the aforementioned surveys.

14. Who is providing the funding for this project?

The Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, The Alden Trust, and Project INTERFACE (Newton Public Schools and U.S. Department of Education) are funding the current project. Funders of the original pilot included The Alden Trust, Aetna Health Plan, the Locke Foundation at Newton- Wellesley Hospital, and the Kenneth Schwartz Center.

SUMMARY

The process of evaluation is vital to the success of this project. We believe that the data we collect will demonstrate to third-party payers why this approach is important for the quality of the doctor-patient relationship, patient and physician satisfaction, and, ultimately, the healthy development of children and parents. The leadership of CEHL III looks forward to meeting all of you who express interest in taking part in this project.

9/08

CEHL.org: Children's Emotional Health Link
Published in category: Pediatrician-Parent Communication Training Program
Article Title: FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
URL: http://www.cehl.org/faq.shtml